First update comes for Windows Phone, without copy and paste

The first major update to the Windows Phone 7 software is now being delivered to customers, Microsoft said on Monday. While the update does not include highly anticipated features such as cut and paste, it does lay the groundwork for future updates.

Microsoft has improved upon the software update process in order to make it more efficient. While the company did not give much detail on what exactly the update changes, Microsoft did call the update "important because it's paving the way for all future goodie-filled updates to your phone, such as copy and paste or improved Marketplace search," hinting towards what the company is working on.

iPhone users are all too familiar with waiting for functionality. After the iPhone was released in 2007, users had to wait nearly two years for cut and paste functionality themselves. Apple explained the long wait away as having to do with finding an efficient way to implement the feature within a touchscreen interface.

For Windows Phone aficionados, the real update may come in March according to enthusiast site Windows Phone Secrets. Dubbed 'NoDo,' it would include cut and paste functionality, CDMA-based location tools, software fixes, and support for the Qualcomm 7x30 smart phone chipset.

Another update -- 'Mango' -- is set further in the future. That would include gesture support, Internet Explorer 9, HTML5 and Silverlight support, as well as other possible entertainment-centric functionality.

The software update process changes are the only bullet point listed on an update history page on the Microsoft website. Company blogger Michael Stroh said the page will be used in the future to list the contents of updates in plain English for those interested.

While Windows Phone users would receive a notice on their phones that an update is available, they would still be required to connect the device to their PCs in order to download and install it to their phone.